Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

HOTEL Act promotes trafficking prevention for federal travel

The bipartisan legislation has backing from organizations and lodging associations

HOTEL Act promotes trafficking prevention for federal travel

THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED “Halting of Trafficking and Exploitation in Lodging” Act would encourage federal employees traveling for business to choose hotels with anti-human trafficking programs. The legislation also would ensure that the U.S. government’s preferred accommodations for conferences and employee travel are committed to training staff to recognize, prevent and respond to human trafficking.

The bipartisan HOTEL Act, introduced by Reps. Chris Smith and Raja Krishnamoorthi on Sept. 19, gained support from anti-trafficking organizations and lodging associations, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Protecting All Children from Trafficking and Hope for Justice.


Smith, who has authored five laws to combat human trafficking, argued that hotels are key locations for identifying and addressing sex and labor trafficking.

“This critical legislation will empower hotels to train their staff using free online resources, adopt procedures to regularly educate and report violations, and provide information to potential victims,” he said. “We also want to protect employees who report these crimes from retaliation and ensure proper coordination with local and federal authorities.”

Krishnamoorthi emphasized that hotel employees can play a role in reporting and preventing human trafficking, but they need the knowledge and skills to recognize it.

“By creating a federal preference for accommodations that voluntarily train their staff to identify human trafficking, the HOTEL Act will equip many more hotel staff to stop exploitation and assist survivors,” he said.

“The HOTEL Act recognizes the crucial role hotels play in the fight against human trafficking, and we are proud to support this legislation,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA’s interim president and CEO. “We look forward to working with Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi and lawmakers across the House and Senate to pass this bill.”

To qualify under the bill, hotel training must be developed in consultation with a state government, human trafficking survivors, survivor-led organizations, or a nationally recognized expert organization, such as the AHLA Foundation.

AHLA, its members and the AHLA Foundation are committed to trafficking prevention and have led efforts in this area for many years:

  • Since 2019, the No Room for Trafficking initiative has partnered with PACT (formerly ECPAT-USA) to provide trafficking-prevention training for hotel employees. The free training modules help staff recognize trafficking signs, display indicator signage, establish company-wide policies, coordinate with law enforcement, and share best practices.
  • The introductory training has been completed over 1.8 million times, with thousands trained annually, not including additional efforts by AHLA members.
  • In 2022, the AHLA Foundation launched the industry’s first-ever Survivor Fund, raising $3.7 million to support trafficking survivors.
  • The AHLA Foundation is matching NRFT Survivor Fund contributions up to $5 million, aiming for a total of $10 million.

“Through the AHLA Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking initiative, the hotel industry is united in the effort to prevent human trafficking and support survivors,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation’s president. “The collective impact of the industry can accelerate innovative prevention efforts and strategies that positively affect the communities where we work and live.”

“The HOTEL Act will ensure that hotel staff are equipped to identify and report suspected human trafficking cases safely,” said Yvonne Chen, PACT’s director of private sector engagement. “Protect All Children from Trafficking supports Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi’s bipartisan efforts to provide hotel staff with the resources and training informed by survivors and lived-experience experts.”

“Hotels are common sites for human trafficking and exploitation,” said Tim Nelson, Hope for Justice’s CEO. “Employees are well-positioned to spot suspicious activity, but only if they have the necessary training. Parts of the industry have pioneered this effort, but making such training a condition for government contracts would transform the response to trafficking in hotels. We strongly endorse the bill and thank Reps. Smith and Krishnamoorthi for their hard work in advancing it.”

In July, the American Hotel & Lodging Association supported the "Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act," which aims to raise awareness through education. Sponsored by Congressmen David Valadao and Troy Carter, the legislation allows DHS to certify businesses that train employees to combat human trafficking, enabling them to publicly display these certifications annually.

More for you

HWIC joins WHLA to support industry women

HWIC joins WHLA to support industry women

THE HOSPITALITY WOMEN’S Innovation Council recently joined as the 34th member of the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance to support women and underserved communities across the industry. The council will encourage women to take part in the messaging, programs and initiatives shared by all WHLA groups.

WHLA was founded in 2021 as a consortium of organizations working to advance women in hospitality.

Keep ReadingShow less
CJ Media WHLA media training event for women in 2025

CJ Media, WHLA launch media training for women in hospitality

CJ Media & WHLA Empower Women with Media Training in 2025

CJ MEDIA SOLUTIONS LLC and the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance will provide quarterly media training to help advance women in hospitality. The program, offered to the alliance’s participating organizations, will draw on experienced media and PR professionals to deliver guidance across interviews, video, podcasts and live panels.

Each session will be archived for alliance members to access anytime, the duo said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Choice Hotels MasteryX 2025 Hack-a-Thon competition in Scottsdale

Choice hosts 10th MasteryX summit in Scottsdale, AZ

Choice Hotels MasteryX 2025: Driving Tech Innovation in Scottsdale

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL kicked off its 10th annual MasteryX tech summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Around 650 associates are attending the week-long event to explore technologies and address real-world challenges through workshops, competitions and knowledge-sharing sessions focused on helping hotel owners increase revenue, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Choice technologists will examine how artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other technologies can support business intelligence, cyber security, on-property operations and the scaling of the company’s tools and systems, Choice said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
શહેરના ફૂટપાથ પર લગેજ સાથે લોકો મુસાફરી કરતા 2025- અમેરિકન પ્રવાસન ખર્ચ 2025

અમેરિકાનો પ્રવાસન્ ઉદ્યોગમાં વર્ષનો પ્રારંભ મંદીથી : અહેવાલ

અમેરિકન પ્રવાસન ખર્ચ 2025માં 2.5% ઘટ્યો: બેંક ઓફ અમેરિકા

અમેરિકન પ્રવાસન્ ખર્ચ હાલમાં 2023 અને 2024ના સ્તરોથી પાછળ છે, જેને બેંક ઓફ અમેરિકા ક્રેડિટ અને ડેબિટ કાર્ડ ડેટા અનુસાર, મહામારી પછીની મુસાફરીની મજબૂત માંગને કારણે વેગ મળ્યો હતો. બેંકના ડેટામાં રહેવાની વ્યવસ્થા, પ્રવાસન અને એરલાઇન ખર્ચમાં ઘટાડો જોવા મળ્યો છે.

બેન્ક ઓફ અમેરિકાના અહેવાલ, “યલો લાઇટ ફોર ટ્રાવેલ: યુએસ ડોમેસ્ટિક ટુરિઝમ ટેપ્સ ધ બ્રેક્સ,” જાણવા મળ્યું છે કે 22 માર્ચ સુધીમાં, રહેવાની અને પ્રવાસન-સંબંધિત સેવાઓ ગયા વર્ષની સરખામણીએ લગભગ 2.5 ટકા ઘટી હતી, જ્યારે એરલાઈન ખર્ચમાં આશરે 6 ટકાનો ઘટાડો થયો હતો.

Keep ReadingShow less